World of Change
by Miroku-dono
Summary: Continuation after Eureka SeveN ends. What will happen when a Coralian and a human try to live in peace? Obstacles will present themselves and they must be overcome.
1. Chapter 1: Life Goes On

Eureka SeveN is owned by BONES and whoever else helped with its production.

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"Hurry back with that nice young lady, Renton. Your kids are waiting."

Several people gazed at the moon; which would forever display the most influential names in the planet's recent history.

As they continued to gaze at the large writing embedded on the moons surface, the scenery slowly began to change.

Off in the vast distance, below the Scab Coral crust that had partially been blown off, two lights could be seen blinking.

Two shadowed figures, one with beautiful glowing green wings, stood in a forest, far away from any civilization. Each with a blinking colored light coming from them.

Acting as a beacon for all mankind to follow; a beacon that would slowly lead the world in the right direction.

A beacon, that no matter what happened, would signify the love of the two emitting it.

And the trials they went through to reach where they were.

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Chapter 1: Life Goes On

Holland Novak looked around the Gekko-Go once again, only to find that it still seemed rather empty.

Stoner and Ken-Goh had been completely correct in knowing that neither Eureka nor Renton would return after what happened.

The only problem was no one even knew if they were still alive. There hadn't been contact with either of the couple since they seemingly vanished from the face of the Earth.

That thought pulled Holland out of his revere as he moved to the window on the soaring Gekko-Go. He looked down to see the still deformed planet below him, and couldn't help but sigh.

The two had given up everything they had to try to save them all. They ended up even giving themselves up, just to stop what was happening.

Holland pulled his first back and slammed it into the wall next to the window. He grunted at the sudden stinging pain, but it didn't matter to him.

In a way, it was his fault. Actually, it was more of his brother's fault, but the blame fell on him as well. He couldn't save his brother and stop everything from happening.

He had failed them.

He'd taken his surname back just to remind him of that point, and the point that he couldn't do anything about it.

"Shit," was all he could murmur as he clenched his eyes shut.

He heard a slight sigh behind him before the person spoke.

"Beating yourself up over this won't bring them back."

Holland turned to look at his wife, who stood with a slight smirk on her face.

"There wasn't anything I could do…"

"There wasn't anything any of us could do, Holland. They chose this path for themselves. There was nothing we could do to stop them."

"But –"

She quickly interrupted, "But nothing, Holland! Would you rather have faced the true destruction of the world? Would you rather have let everyone else die?"

The gray haired man glared at her before closing his eyes and sighing.

"They gave themselves for the good of everyone…yet they lost everything. How could I feel happy about either!"

Talho sighed as she looked at the man before her. Before everything had happened, he'd always put up a strong front and do his best for everyone. But after the disappearance of Eureka and Renton, he seemed lost.

He would still put up a strong front in front of everyone else, but Talho knew the truth. He'd blame himself every chance he could get.

He was protective of his new family, but he also seemed to avoid them slightly.

Talho knew it wasn't his fault, that he was simply letting his feelings overpower his reason. But that had to come to an end. Even though their son was only a few months, Holland had a new role to fulfill in his life.

A role that he was currently just shrugging off.

She could forgive him though. After all, both Eureka and Renton were like family to everyone on board. More so to her and Holland than anyone else on board.

The two had watched, in secret, as Eureka and Renton had slowly begun to grow up. The time they spent on the Gekko-Go with everyone else was only proof of their eventual change.

Talho sighed as she turned to leave Holland alone with his thoughts. It was still fairly early, and she didn't want to put Holland in a bad mood the rest of the day.

As she walked through the silent halls of the ship, she couldn't help but feel angry as well.

Everything they had shoved the two of them into was partially her fault as well. She also felt just as guilty as Holland in the fact that they had forced the two of them to grow up far too fast.

They were only 15 at the time of the Second Summer of Love. Normally, kids their age would still be in school, or messing around with their friends.

But the two of them were forced to take up a huge burden almost from the beginning. Then, they had saved the planet and simply disappeared.

She shook her head to stop her current train of though. She needed to be strong for everyone else. It wouldn't be fair if both she and Holland simply slacked off while the rest of them continued on.

Talho stopped in front of her room and the door opened with a soft _swish_. She looked in and noticed that the small form inside was still sleeping.

She took a step back and headed towards the kitchen. Currently, it was the only place she could think to seek solace from all that was happening.

After all, it was one of Renton and Eureka's favorite rooms to be in together.

----------

Renton moved slightly and struggled to open his eyes. He wasn't sure where they were, as the last thing he could remember was that he and Eureka were falling. His eyes snapped open, despite their weight, and he sat up immediately.

He looked around quickly, his eyes frantic and wide.

When he realized they were on the ground, he sighed in relief. He lowered his head to notice the lake in front of them. His mind soon began to awaken and process all that was happening.

As he looked at the water, he could remember their return later last night.

He looked up at the sky, covering his eyes with his hands to avoid the brightness.

"That's right…" His mind, now fully awake, took in his surroundings as he looked at the forest around him. Almost immediately, he knew he was on Earth. No such plant life existed on the outer shell of the coral. As he looked around, he noticed another figure to his left.

He slowly shifted his weight to his legs and moved into a crouched position. His legs felt weak, although he wasn't sure why. He slowly began to rise to his feet, only to end up in a sitting position again.

He sighed and settled for crawling on the ground toward the blue haired figure before him. As he reached her, he could see that she was still wearing a simple one piece dress; the end of which was barely covering most of her midriff as she lay in a curled position.

He blushed slightly as he noticed her state of undress, but continued to move forward.

He stopped right next to her and sat on the ground. It was then that he noticed a purple backpack sitting on its side behind the sleeping form. He could only wonder where it had come from, as neither of them had anything aside from what they wore when the Nirvash had sent them back.

As he shifted his reach to the foreign object, he wondered if it was all a dream. As he pulled the purple mass to him, he noticed it looked strangely familiar. When he held it in front of him, he was shocked to see that it was the backpack he'd taken from Moondoggie, and later lost, on the Gekko-Go.

He looked at the purple container for only a few moments longer before returning his attention to the area around them. He slowly stood, shifting his weight from side to side, and looked around again.

He took a few shaky steps before walking around the small area that he awoke in. He looked down at Eureka in concern, but had to find out exactly what was going on. He moved away from the area at a slow and shaky pace.

As he walked further away from the clearing, Renton noticed that area was nothing like the first trip down to Earth he had made with Eureka and the kids. He gazed around, completely shocked by the natural beauty around him. This time, he could actually take time to enjoy everything rather than fret about all that was happening.

He continued on further into the forest, constantly casting glances around himself. He wasn't sure what was going on at all. It seemed like only yesterday that both he and Eureka had been released by Nirvash, after the LFO itself had become the Command Cluster.

Yet, from the distinct feeling in his body, he knew that there was something missing. There was something more.

He continued to move around the area, looking for any kind of clues or signs of someone being nearby. He was still stumped as to why the backpack had been sitting next to Eureka, and trying to think about how it was possible only made his head hurt.

He put a hand to his forehead and wiped away the small amount of sweat that had gathered from his walk. He wasn't sure how far he traveled, as most of the scenery looked the same. He continued on for a little further, still looking around. After finding absolutely nothing, he resigned himself to the fact that they were alone and practically lost on Earth.

Renton turned and started walking slowly back to the clearing, wondering what exactly had been going on. He couldn't remember a thing, and when he tried thinking about what happened after the Nirvash let them go, a painful wave sent itself through his head.

He hated being left in the dark; it was one thing that he absolutely couldn't stand. However, it looked like there was no one else that could explain the situation and no clues to be found anywhere.

As he slowly made his way back to the clearing, he suddenly felt a surge of panic. His eyes, now very wide, turned to the direction of the camp. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he definitely felt it.

He quickened his pace carrying himself as fast as his weakened legs would allow him to. It seemed like forever before he finally began to see the trees thinning, and walked into the clearing.

He looked around quickly, and noticed that Eureka was now sitting up. She seemed to be whimpering while she had her hands covering her face.

He could see that she was upset, but could also feel a sense of fear and sadness coming from her. He approached her slowly, not really sure of what was going on.

As he got closer to her, he heard her murmur something. After a few more steps, she said it again.

Only this time he could hear it. She was whispering his name.

"What is it, Eureka? What's wrong?"

Immediately, the young girl's heard snapped up and looked at him. The shallow feelings of sadness and fear slowly faded into something else as she continued to look at him.

Relief passed by her features first and tears seemed to well up in her eyes again. She quickly stood and immediately ran to the boy as soon as the thought came to mind.

She embraced him tightly and began to bury herself in him. For a moment, she had thought she lost him.

Renton wrapped his arms around Eureka and simply held her. His right arm brushed against one of her wings, which caused her to shiver slightly.

Never once had he thought that they were strange or that they took away from her humanity. It was quite the opposite. He loved the way that they accented her beauty; he didn't think they looked strange at all.

After a few moments, she pulled back and looked at him, eyes still shimmering.

It was then that Renton felt the strange sensations again from before. As he looked at Eureka, he could feel only love for her. But at the same time, he also felt a tinge of worry, as well as a feeling that amplified his own.

"I'm sorry…"

Eureka shook her head, "You don't have to apologize."

Renton gave her a sad smile before shaking his head, "I should have waited for you to wake up so we could look around together."

Eureka rested her head on his shoulder, and the two stood in absolute silence.

Renton could feel the overpowering love coming from the both of them. He thought it was odd, since he never felt anything like what he was experiencing currently.

He was slightly confused as to how anything of the sort had happened, quickly shoved his thoughts aside. It didn't really matter to him; after all it was a way to get closer to Eureka.

Renton put his hands on her shoulders pushed her back a little. He could see her purple eyes shining back up at him, holding nothing but endearment.

Renton smiled at her, which she quickly returned.

"Although I don't mind being alone with you…we need to figure out our situation." Eureka nodded, "As far as I can tell, we've somewhere on Earth, but I'm not sure where. And then there is that…"

Renton turned his gaze to the small purple backpack on the ground. Eureka slowly followed his line of sight, and looked upon it with confusion.

She broke away from Renton and strode over to the object and knelt before it. She quickly set it upright and started to open it.

"Eureka, no! We don't know whose it is! What if someone lost it?"

Eureka turned to look at him, "But what if they left it here for us?"

Renton scratched the side of his head, "I didn't see anyone or anything around us at all when I looked."

Eureka nodded and turned her attention back to the purple device. She slowly began to open it further, more cautious than before.

Renton slowly started his way over until he saw her lift her head. He felt a hint on confusion before he even reached her to see it. When he reached her side, he could see what she was confused about. Sitting inside were everything they could possibly need.

A large blanket rolled into a tight bundle, a small electrical lantern, a flare gun with two extra shells, a pair of shoes and socks, a pair or binoculars…and last but not least, a small communicator at the bottom.

Renton looked in awe at the things gathered in the knapsack. It was like someone had planned for this to happen and left them with whatever they needed in order to continue on.

That though struck an odd chord as he looked at Eureka.

"You don't think…"

She nodded, looking at him. He could tell she knew what question was coming and had already replied to it.

"They knew this would happen. I'm not sure how, but they knew."

Renton scratched the side of his head as he moved over to Eureka.

Renton sat down next to her and continued to look at the contents. He could see why they would need several of the items, but the flare gun and binoculars were still a mystery to him.

He picked up the shoes and handed them to Eureka. She nodded and slowly began to put the protective footwear on.

Renton then grabbed the communicator and tried turning it on. At first, a burst of static came out of the small speaker, followed by a loud beep and then silence.

Renton scowled at the small device and began fiddling with it, but to no avail. He reached behind him to pull around his usual waist pack with his tools in it…to find it wasn't there.

"Damnit…" He cursed as he realized that he never did put the pack back on when he changed clothes. There wasn't enough time to make sure everything was in order before he rushed to be with Eureka.

He sighed and looked at the small device that seemingly mocked him.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look at the worried visage of Eureka. He put his own hand on hers and grinned.

"Well, it seemed too easy with everything going right," he said as he looked at the small device again.

Eureka shifted slightly and rested her head on his shoulders. After a few moments of silence Renton turned his head slightly to look at his blue haired companion.

"I don't think anything will come of us sitting here."

Eureka nodded, "We should probably move elsewhere."

Renton stood first, turning around and giving his head to Eureka. She smiled at him and accepted it while Renton slowly helped her to her feet.

They both turned and looked out over the lake in front of them and then turned towards the forest. Soon, nothing could be seen of the two figures as they made their way through the towering trees.

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Holland grinned as he saw a monstrous red ship pull into the airspace next to the Gekko-Go.

Gidget, who was messing with her nails, sat up straight as soon as she heard something from her headset.

"Super Izumo sending over a transmission."

Holland nodded, "Put it on screen."

A small screen appeared from the panel next to him, with the visage of a military man with a black beret and a brown moustache appeared before him.

"It's been a while Yurgens."

The man nodded solemnly, "Indeed it has."

Holland raised an eyebrow, "What's up? I thought it was a little odd that you would contact us so suddenly."

Yurgens looked at the screen and sighed, "As you know there have been many things going on in the United Federation Forces." Holland nodded, "And it seems that a few things have driven a few of the soldiers to separate into their own faction."

Holland showed mild interest, "Oh?"

The captain nodded, "Yes. They've dubbed themselves as the Coral Combat Faction. It seems they have quite a few issues with the policies of the U.F.F. They separated on the idea of following Dewey's original plan and wiping out the Scab Coral. However, they have no real influence or power to accomplish anything."

"Not yet, at least," Holland added, noting the other man's serious nod.

"They managed to take a few KLFs with them, but there weren't enough taken to raise too many problems."

"But…"

"But a few of the soldiers were able to practically clear out a few weapons storage units. They're armed with everything needed for ground combat."

Holland sat back and sighed, "And with every person armed, they can cause some serious problems."

"Yes…but the most disturbing information is yet to come."

Holland put a hand to his forehead, "How did I know this was coming…"

"It seems that they are quite intent on harming Axel Thurston and anyone related to him."

That sentence caught Holland off guard, "What?"

Yurgens nodded, "Yes. We've received reports from several districts in Bellforest that place several key faction members at both his old garage and the scrap yard of one of his protégé's."

Holland clenched his fist, "Those idiots would do something like that…and let me guess why…"

Yurgens nodded again, "Due to his relation to Renton Thurston. They feel repulsed by the idea of mutual cohabitation of a Coralian and human. Following Dewey's ideal plan of action is, to them, the only way they can survive."

Holland smirked, "I'd like to see those cocky bastards just try it."

Yurgens raised an eyebrow, "What are you planning?"

Holland raised a hand and waved it in front of him, "Oh, nothing much. Just a little trip back to Bellforest to see how the kids are doing."

Yurgens snorted, "I figured you would say something like that. We already have their residence under surveillance if they actually are found. A unit is always on standby at the nearest available complex."

Holland nodded, "It's best to not underestimate them."

Yurgens smirked, "And I think you'll find this last bit rather entertaining."

Holland raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

"It seems that, as purifists, the C.C.F. is completely for taking back the Earth, so you can guess where they've made their headquarters."

Holland let out a small laugh, "Yea, right. The only thing they're proving themselves to be are pure idiots."

A small silence passed between both men.

"So…" Yurgens was the first to break the silence, "is there any word…?"

Holland crossed his arms and shook his head, "None."

The captain sighed, "If only there were some way we could help. But the U.F.F. is having enough problems of its own. It's hard enough trying to keep them from targeting you. No matter how many times I explain it, they simply won't listen."

Holland shrugged, "It's not that big of a deal. We can always return to being a royal pain in their ass."

The Captain of the Super Izumo smirked, "Well said. We still have surveillance to attend to. Maybe out paths will cross another day."

Holland scratched the side of his chin, "Maybe. Take care of yourself. And keep Dominic's ass out of trouble."

Holland smirked as he heard a resentful grunt from off screen. With that, he closed the line and sank back into the chair.

Everyone turned to look at Holland as he sighed.

"What is the world coming to…"

Holland felt a hand on his right shoulder and looked over to see Talho.

She smiled at him, which he returned with a small grin of his own.

"Doggie, take us to Bellforst. We're getting the old man and the kids out of there before something happens."

The blonde haired pilot nodded and punched the thrusters up a notch before gliding to the left and below the clouds.

The crew looked over the torn surface of the planet as it came into view. None of them were quite used to the sight yet, but it was becoming bearable.

Off in the distance, a lone tower stood; a shadow of its former self in the setting sun. It was their current destination, for under that tower was the city-state they were looking for.

The city of Bellforest.

---------------

Axel Thurston sat at the desk on the second floor of the small apartment. He looked at the picture on his desk, and then back at the rising moon.

He still couldn't believe what had happened. Both his son and grandson had become heroes. The Thurston family name was praised as the most influential family of their time. Adrock Thurston was first, the man who had supposedly saved mankind by preventing the First Summer of Love. After him, his son took on the name of a hero for bringing the Second Summer of Love in his wake, and partially releasing the Earth from her shell of Scab Coral.

Neither had yet to return, yet the old man knew that Renton would be back. He'd sent the children ahead of him as proof that he would return.

The elderly man turned and silently stood. He softly strode to the end of the hall to look into the far room. As he peeked through the door, he could see the silhouettes of the three children, each sleeping in an odd position.

The old man smiled and moved away from the door and quietly shut it.

If he said he was surprised when Holland had simply appeared with the kids and a new family register, he'd be lying. He was downright shocked at the development.

Yet, the proof was there. He took out the paper from the small desk drawer and stared at it again.

Axel looked back out the window, but was soon drawn from his thoughts by a quiet knock on the door. He picked himself out of the chair and steadily made his way to the door.

When he opened it, he was surprised to see both Holland and Matthieu standing before him.

Holland grinned, "Hey old timer, we need to talk."

Axel's eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the two of them.

"What could you possibly want now? You fools have already taken everything else from me."

Holland scratched the side of his head and shrugged.

"We haven't come for anything. If anything, we've come for you. That is…if you agree to it."

The old man raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Are we going to stand here and talk like idiots or are you going to invite us in gramps?"

Axel frowned at the comment but moved aside and motioned for the two to come in. After a few moments, all three were sitting in the small main room.

Holland was in his normal position on the sofa, with his arms resting on the back of it and his eyes pointed toward the ceiling.

After a few moments, Axel was the first to speak.

"Well?"

Holland lazily brought his face down to meet with Axel's gaze. He sighed before sitting up and running a hand through his hair.

"I don't know exactly how to put this lightly…but you and the kids are in danger."

The old man snorted, "Yes, being unfortunate enough to know you is enough to put anyone in danger."

Holland scowled at the man, "I'm being serious here, Axel."

Axel raised an eyebrow he knew something was up when Holland actually referred to him by name, "What do you mean?"

Over the next few minutes, Holland relayed all the information that Yurgens had told him.

The old man sat back with his eyes wide, "Are they certain?"

Holland nodded, "I'd trust Yurgens with this information. He couldn't simply make something up."

Axel put a hand to his forehead and slowly began to rub it. After a few moments, he looked back at Holland.

"And what is the purpose of your visit other than giving me this information?"

Holland shifted slightly and looked at the floor before looking back at Axel.

"To tell you the truth, we're here to pick you and the kids up. The C.C.F. knows you're still in Bellforest. While you're on the Gekko-Go, they wouldn't be stupid enough to attack. Unless they have a deathwish."

Axel looked at the men in front of him. The more emotional part of his mind was telling him to completely reject their offer, but the more rational side could see their point.

He sighed, letting all his thoughts out in one breath before looking Holland directly in the eyes. He could tell the man wasn't lying. Plus, the only time Holland had ever come to visit after Diane had disappeared was when things were serious.

The old man nodded slightly, "I understand."

The sign of relief could be seen on Holland's face as soon as the two words left Axel's mouth. The old man could only guess that Holland had been expecting either a complete rejection or more of a fight.

"Good. We'll have Hilda come down in the 606 for you and the kids."

Holland looked at Mattieu, who nodded and stepped outside for a moment. Axel moved to the room the children shared and opened the door.

He moved inside and quickly roused the children. Each groaned slightly before waking up and looking up at the elderly man.

"What's wrong grandpa?" Maurice mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

"I need you kids to hurry up and get anything you want or need. We're going away for a while."

Maurice nodded slightly and blinked to get the sleep out of his eyes. He quickly began looking around for anything that he figured Maeter or Linck would want before packing said items. After he was done, he noticed that his siblings were still asleep.

He moved outside to say something to Axel, but saw someone he hadn't seen in a while standing at the door.

"Holland!"

The gray haired man turned around with a wary grin, "Yo!"

Maurice looked at him in surprise, but quickly shook his head, "Linck and Maeter need to be carried."

Holland nodded, "We'll get to that point when Hilda gets here."

Maurice looked confused, but Holland wasn't giving anything else away. After a few moments, the sound of a larger trapar board could be heard.

"That's your ride. Time to go."

Holland moved into the back room and picked both of the other children up and slowly walked outside. He handed Maeter to Hilda first, and then Linck after she set the young girl in the back seat. He hoisted Maurice up next and then looked at Axel.

The old man was just coming out of the small apartment with his coat and hat on. He was also carrying a fairly large metal briefcase.

Holland took the metal case and shoved it into Matthieu's arms before jerking his head to the 606.

The old man looked up and made his way over to the huge LFO. He had to take a more compact place in the front seat with Hilda, since the children were in the back.

As the cockpit screen closed, he grunted from the lack of space.

"It won't be that long, you can relax soon."

After giving him slight reassurances, Hilda took off in the 606 before Holland and Matthieu were even off the ground.

Matthieu looked over at Holland.

"Why do I have to carry this thing?"

Holland smirked, "Because I told you to."

Without waiting for a response, Holland took off on his ref board.

"Damnit leader! That ain't fair!" Matthieu yelled as he, too, took off.

----------

Renton looked around the new area in the forest that they decided to stop at. The canopy was pretty thin compared to the normal light blocking branches that usually hung overhead.

He could see the moonlight peeking through the branches. They'd stopped just a few moments ago, deciding that rest was definitely needed. After all, they had been walking since they woke up that morning, taking few breaks as they continued on their way.

Renton was leaning against one of the massive trees with his eyes closed when he felt something wash over him.

It was a feeling of giddiness and curiosity. After a few moments, he could hear Eureka calling for him. He stood up and slowly followed the path he had seen her take, plus he could see the slight green glow her wings produced in the darkness.

As he exited the cover of the trees, he could see her looking up at the sky. Eureka quickly turned her head and looked at him with excited eyes.

"Look Renton! Isn't it wonderful?"

"Huh?" He looked at her rather confused until he looked up at the sky. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, just the moon and stars.

After a few moments of looking at the moon though, his mind began to process what exactly was going on.

His jaw suddenly dropped as he looked at the huge engraved heart with his and Eureka's names in the middle of it.

"How…?"

"I don't know, but isn't it wonderful?" Eureka turned her gaze back to the young boy standing next to her. She smiled warmly at him, but his faced was still locked in the look of absolute amazement.

After a few moments, she moved over next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He slowly wrapped his left arm around her waist and winced slightly.

Eureka didn't seem to notice, though, as she was still gazing up at the large orb in the sky.

Nothing seemed to matter in the world to Renton. He was finally able to be alone with the one he loved. Only, he felt rather uncomfortable in the strange environment with no human contact for thousands of kilometers.

As the moments passed, Eureka slowly lowered her head and broke the comfortable silence.

"Renton…"

"Hm?"

"How do you think the kids are doing…"

Renton scratched the back of his neck with his free hand and sighed.

"If I had to guess, I'd say there were still will Holland on the Gekko-Go. So they should be doing fine."

"Do…do you think they miss us? As much as we miss them?"

Renton tilted his head slightly to catch a glimpse of the tears hanging at the corners of her eyes.

"I'm sure they do. After all, they've been away from their mama for a while now."

Eureka lowered her head slightly and Renton kicked himself mentally.

"I didn't mean it like that Eureka…I'm sure they miss you."

Eureka nodded and allowed Renton to lead her away to the spot they'd chosen to set up camp at. He, once again, sat down in his spot that he'd vacated to go meet with Eureka. Renton slowly closed his eyes and rested his head against the tree trunk.

His thoughts began to wander slightly before he simply lost consciousness.

Eureka, still caught up in her thoughts, sat next to Renton and tried to get comfortable. She looked over at the young boy with both affection and worry in her eyes. She knew that she'd eventually drive Renton away if she let their situation get the best of her. Worrying about the kids when they were in capable hands should've obviously taken the back burner, but she couldn't help herself.

Eureka rested her head gently on Renton's shoulder and leaned against his side. She felt him shift slightly to accept the extra weight and move his arm.

Eureka couldn't help but smile. Even while unconscious, Renton still did his best to try to please her.

His scent was strong, which slowly lured her into a realm of security, and eventually sleep.

-------------

Holland, sitting in the lounge, looked up as the door opened to emit Axel Thurston. The old mechanic had a slight change of heart toward Holland when he'd dropped the kids off.

The fact that he promised to continue looking for Renton and Eureka also influenced that change of heart.

Right now, the two simply looked at each other. Holland nodded and laid his head on the back of the couch again.

Axel moved and sat down opposite of Holland on one of the chairs. After a few moments of silence, the only man crossed his arms.

"There hasn't been any word or progress?"

Holland sighed, as he knew the topic would've been brought up eventually.

"No. We've devoted most of our time in trying to find then since we talked two months ago. Nothing's come up."

He heard the old man sigh, and pulled his head forward. He could see that Axel was hunched over in the chair, elbows on his knees.

"Yurgens also said Dominic and Anemone, as well as a few others, are looking for him as well. Currently, they had to retrieve Dominic for official trial reasons. He'll be joining Anemone again soon."

The old man looked up and nodded. Holland was almost surprised to see that unshed tears were clinging to the corners of his eyes. Holland could understand what he was feeling completely. After all, he'd gone through similar emotions when his elder brother killed himself in front of him.

It was a feeling of loss, of confusion and of failure.

Before anything else could be said, the door slid open to reveal three small figures.

A chorus rang out, each child calling Holland's name, as the gray haired man looked over just in time to be smothered by Linck and Maeter.

Maurice stood back with a grin as he watched Holland try to untangle himself from the two younger children.

Laughter rang out in the lounge as Holland soon was able to pull himself away from them.

"How have you midgets been? It's been rather quiet on the ship without you."

"We're doing just fine," Maeter replied.

Linck nodded enthusiastically, "Grandpa is cool!"

Holland raised an eyebrow and shot a look over at the laughing old man.

Maurice, who had remained in the background, stepped forward.

"Holland…what about mama?"

Holland looked over at the black haired youth and put a hand on his head, "We're still looking, but I doubt it'll be much longer."

Maurice nodded.

The small reunion was broken as the door opened to admit Talho and Stoner. The auburn haired man seemed slightly surprised to see that there were quite a few people already up and in the lounge.

As soon as the children saw Talho, they ran to her and embraced her legs. Talho smiled and lowered one hand to pat each of the children on the head.

Soon, Maeter noticed that she was carrying something in her arms.

"Is that the baby?" She asked excitedly.

Talho nodded.

"Can we see it?" Linck added.

Talho smiled and slowly crouched so that the three young ones could get a better look at the sleeping child.

Maurice, Maeter and Linck all looked at the smaller form in amazement and curiosity. A few moments later, Maeter reached out slowly and began to pat his head.

A sudden clicking sound could be heard, and all attention was rendered to Stoner. He stood in the doorway with his trusty camera in hand, and a smile plastered on his face.

"Nice little reunion photo op," was all he said before moving further into the lounge and into the kitchen.

Maurice quickly followed the photographer, and soon soft chatter could be heard coming from inside the kitchen.

Talho slowly stood and smiled as the kids continued with their questions and antics.

After a few moments, she carefully sat next to Holland and Maeter and Linck moved over to see the baby again.

"What is it?"

"It's a boy Linck."

"Does he have a name?"

Holland grinned as Talho nodded, "Alex."

The old man looked at Holland in surprise, as the chatter in the lounge continued.

Soon afterward, Matthieu and Hilda joined the group. Not long after they settled down, Moondoggie and Gidget made their appearances as well.

After a few hours, the entire crew had gathered in the lounge and kitchen. The atmosphere was light and friendly, but still contained a slight amount of sadness.

For the crew wasn't exactly complete. They were still missing its two most important members.

------------

Renton slowly opened his eyes and almost immediately could feel two things. He could feel something soft touching his cheek, as well as a slight weight on his side.

The other feeling was a bit more troublesome. He could feel a searing pain in his left arm. It was far worse than he ever remembered it being, even when he had come down with his fever.

He shifted his weight away from his left side and managed to remove his arm from the pinned position it was in. As his appendage was liberated from its prison, the pain immediately seemed to subside. It still throbbed, but was nothing like it was a moment before.

His sudden movements caused Eureka to awaken from her sleep. She seemed confused at first, but moved herself closer to Renton. She laid her head on his chest, while putting one of her legs on his. He slowly adjusted his left arm and soon wrapped his sore appendage around her waist.

The two sat in silence until Eureka slowly drifted back to the realm of dreams. Renton looked down at her and smiled before resting his head against the sturdy tree again.

Soon, he too, let sleep reclaim him.

As time continued to pass, both slept in blissful ignorance. As midday broke, Renton finally opened his eyes once again. He looked around him and noticed that things were a lot brighter and it was a fair deal hotter.

He shifted and softly nudged Eureka. His efforts were rewarded with a slight groan and Eureka's eyes slowly opening.

After a few moments, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Renton stood and quickly began stretching. He winced in pain as he extended his left arm, but Eureka didn't seem to notice. She looked up at him with a warm smile on her face.

"Can we do that more often?"

Renton looked down at her with confusion written on his face, "Huh?"

"Can we be like that together more often? It was very comfortable…and very nice…"

Renton caught her drift and scratched the back of his head, "Although I wouldn't mind, I don't know what grandpa and them would say."

Eureka tossed Renton a confused look.

"Normally…people who spend the night with each other are a bit older and a lot more intimate…"

Her head seemed to dip slightly, "I see…"

Renton immediately picked up on the disappointment and slight sadness that played on her beautiful features.

"We could still try though, if you'd like."

Eureka looked back up at Renton, her smile returning, "Yes."

Renton nodded and offered her a hand. As he slowly helped her up, he could feel something continuing to swell inside each of them.

He wasn't sure, but he could only guess that it was their affection that was drawing them even closer together.

As Renton shouldered the backpack, he turned to look at Eureka with a grin.

"Another day of wandering around."

Eureka nodded, "Yes, but at least we can enjoy it this time."

As Renton started to walk away, Eureka quickened her pace to match his. Soon, she latched onto his left arm, which caused him to jump slightly. Eureka thought it was simply from the surprise that she suddenly initiated contact. She never suspected that it was something else. Something completely different.

Something that she would soon find out about.

-----------

Anemone looked up as a KLF landed next to the camp site. Originally, she and Dominic had set out to find both themselves, and possibly Eureka and Renton.

Not long after, though, Dominic had been summoned aboard the Super Izumo once again to deal with the charges brought against anyone actively involved in Dewey's plots.

That also included the children, which had slightly depressed Yurgens.

Now he was making his return via a trip in one of the Izumo's KLFs. The cockpit door opened and Dominic stepped out from behind the cramped seat and thanked the pilot before climbing down the massive machine and waving.

As soon as he waved, the pilot sealed the cockpit again and took off.

Dominic turned around only to be enveloped in a bone crushing hug from Anemone. He smiled warmly and returned the hug.

He was still amazed that they had become involved. The past seemed to flash before his eyes, once again. All the times she'd made Dewey out to be more important, all the times she'd abused him, all the times she'd ignored him…everything.

But that had changed when Dewey himself had spilled everything to Anemone.

Dominic could only guess that the shroud that had been pulled over Anemone's eyes had been yanked away. She suddenly began to face everything at once. The fact that he wasn't there, the fact that she didn't need the drug, and the fact that everything Dewey had said was a lie.

Dominic smiled as Anemone pulled back. She had a hint of worry in her eyes, but also smiled at him.

"Took you long enough."

Dominic scratched the back of his head, "Yea, well…Captain Yurgens made a slight detour to give information to the Gekko-Go."

Anemone looked at him curiously, "About what?"

"About the new faction targeting anyone related to the Thurstons. And information about the faction itself."

"What did Holland have to say?"

"He pretty much decided on the spot to retrieve the old man and his grandchildren. That and told me to keep my nose clean."

Anemone narrowed her eyes slightly and let a sly grin cross her face.

"Oh did he now? I would've thought something coming from him would've been cruder."

Dominic blushed slightly and lowered his head, "Well yea…it is Holland after all."

Anemone giggled before pulling Dominic toward the tent. As they neared the campsite, the young man could see that practically nothing had changed since his departure.

She let go of his hand and sat on the back end of the sidecar of Dominic's motorcycle. The black haired youth smiled as he noticed this.

That spot, however small it was, represented a great many things for Dominic. And it was a very special spot that both he and Anemone were quite taken with.

He took his spot next to her, and both gazed up at the sky, neither saying anything. They were content simply by being with each other.

------------

Renton and Eureka looked up at the scene in front of them in amazement. They knew there were on Earth, but they hadn't expected anything like what was in front of them.

A huge portion of Scab Coral still stood, completely untouched by anything. The cliff like rock cut through the skies beauty like a sore. The marred land seemed so drastically out of place in the beautiful land on Earth.

Both youths stood in a small trance as they looked at the structure in front of them. As they moved forward, each raised a hand and placed their palms on the cold stone.

It seemed so surreal in many ways. It was proof that the Second Summer of Love occurred, but was also proof that not everything had reverted back to normal.

After a few moments, Renton seemed to stumble back. Eureka looked at him in confusion, but noticed that something was wrong. Very wrong.

She quickly moved over to Renton, only to see him holding his left arm tenderly. His face was contorted in a look of extreme pain.

Almost instantly, everything began to click. The night before when he shifted away and earlier that day when she latched on to his arm both came back as clear cut indicators.

Renton's left arm was acting up again.

She quickly moved over to him and eventually got him seated. She slowly removed the backpack and had Renton remove the outer jacket he now wore.

As soon as the left sleeve was slipped off, she could sense something was dreadfully wrong. The entire lower part of his sweatshirt sleeve was covered in liquid and small bits of blood.

She tried as gently as she could to roll up the sleeve, but Renton still reacted violently to any sensation in his arm.

As soon as the sleeve was clear, she could see something that looked very disturbing.

The place where Renton had intentionally hurt himself to try to make her feel better was looking far worse.

Green puss was slowly oozing out of the wound, and the wound itself looked to be a darker shade of green. As she moved closer to the wound, Renton went into a craze. He grasped just above the large gash on his arm and began to scream.

He began to move around quite a bit, and finally rested with his head against one of the nearby trees. He seemed to pause there slightly, before pulling his head back and hitting it against the tree.

Eureka began to tear up, just at the sight of Renton in pain. As he began to inflict more harm upon himself, the dam broke.

"Renton, please stop! Hurting yourself worse won't accomplish anything!" She rushed toward Renton, her wings in a strange half extended form. She quickly grabbed his midsection and began to squeeze it tightly.

"Please, I'm begging you Renton! Don't do this!"

Renton, resting his head against the trunk, suddenly went limp. His breathing was still very quickened, and she could feel his erratic heartbeat from her position.

Eureka looked up to see that Renton's eyes were closed, and that he'd drawn blood on the side of his forehead. Eureka began to weep softly while clinging to Renton.

She wasn't really sure what was going on. He'd been absolutely fine until they came into contact with the Scab Coral piece.

A memory of her own problems with interacting with the Scab Coral arose. She suddenly felt panicked, not sure on how to handle the situation.

If things went anything like they did with her, Renton could be in possible danger.

She quickly moved to the only hope she now saw in this situation: the backpack.

She quickly spilled all the contents on the ground and reached for the flare gun immediately after seeing it.

She checked to make sure it was loaded and looked at Renton once more before standing up and pointing the gun straight in the air.

She covered one ear and pulled the trigger. She looked up and saw a streak of red that went several hundred feet high and after a few moments, a large pop could be heard as the flare exploded into a sort of beacon.

Eureka dropped the gun and the moved back to Renton to make sure he was alright.

All she could do now…was hope.

----------

Dominic heard the popping noise and looked around. Anemone looked at him with a hint of confusion before she, too, began to look around. After a few moments, her head stopped in one direction.

"Hey, Dominic…" The black haired youth turned to look at her, "What's that?"

He followed her extended arm and noticed a large plume of red smoke off in the distance. It wasn't close, but it wasn't extremely far either.

"Is that…an emergency flare?"

Anemone turned her head to look at him, eyes wide.

"You don't think…"

Dominic looked at her and nodded, "It could be."

Anemone immediately hopped off the back of the sidecar and looked in the direction of the fading smoke. She quickly turned back to him with a hint of annoyance.

"What are you waiting for!"

Dominic seemed slightly startled, but nodded. He jumped off the sidecar and grabbed his helmet.

Soon, the both of them were dodging obstacles left and right to get to the area that they'd seen the flare go off in.

After a few kilometers, the area around them began to clear out slightly. Dominic recognized that place immediately. It was the way to one of the former camp sites that he and Anemone had set up at in the past few days. They'd move around from time to time in order to cover more ground.

Dominic looked ahead of him and silently began to calculate just how far the camp site would be. His calculations ended as soon as he saw the towering figure of the Scab Coral.

He put more pressure on the handle grip, causing the small motorcycle to speed up. After a few moments, almost all the trees simply vanished from sight and they entered a small clearing.

Dominic immediately began to brake as soon as he saw two figures crouched by one of the trees closest to the cliff. As the cycle stopped, Anemone was the first out.

She jumped out of the sidecar and immediately began running to the two familiar forms.

"Renton! Eureka!"

Eureka, who had heard the motor powered device, had a look of immense relief plastered on her face.

Dominic soon joined Anemone at Eureka's side, but things didn't look too good. Renton's head was resting on a bundled blanket. His face was covered in sweat, but that wasn't the most disturbing part.

Dominic noticed Renton's arm next and couldn't help but stare in shock at his battered appendage.

Renton's arm looked extremely infected. It had a great deal of puss around the wound and liquid run off running down his arm.

Without saying a word, he quickly pulled out a hand held communicator and began to fiddle with it.

After a few moments, a female voice began to speak from it.

"Lieutenant Sorrel, why are you contacting back so soon?"

"This isn't the time for that! We have problems here."

A short pause followed, and a masculine voice took over.

"What problems, Dominic?"

"Captain! This is bad. We found Eureka and Renton."

"And exactly how is that bad?"

"The situation is! His arm is infected, by what I'm not sure. But I know that he needs medically treatment immediately!" A slight pause came from the young man, and he spoke again in a softer tone, "Or else the infection itself may consume his entire body."

"We're sending a landing shuttle to the coordinates your communicator is broadcasting from. Don't move."

Dominic nodded and then a click could be heard.

He put the communicator back in his jacket and looked at Eureka.

"Help is on the way."

**A/N:** This chapters been 3 days in the making, and now it's finally done! I really, REALLY don't need another project, but I just can't help it.

Eureka SeveN was an amazing anime that I just have to write about. The ending was a sound ending, but left so many things open. Thus, this project.

I haven't really read around much of the E7 part of but I know it is extremely small. Thus, my contribution to this section.

Look for more eventually.


	2. Chapter 2: Keeping Sane

Eureka SeveN is owned by BONES and whoever else helped with its production.

-------------

Chapter 2: Keeping Sane

Eureka looked up at Dominic as he continued to pace around.

Anemone was sitting on a small boulder nearer to the Scab Coral cliff, looking rather bored. She was watching Dominic with tired eyes, not really sure what he was trying to do.

The silence that hung in the air was extremely think. It was the kind of uncomfortable, unwelcome silence that accompanied something big.

Anemone switched her line of sight to rest on the two pilots. While she was glad they found their missing friends, she was also rather upset.

The fact that Renton was already seemingly down for the count didn't play well. She had expected to run into them at chance; a chance meeting that brought about a round of surprise and joy. She hadn't really expected anything like this.

Eureka looked extremely frail at that moment, and Anemone couldn't blame her. She had probably looked like that when she learned that Dominic had left Dewey's services.

Currently, they were all at a loss of what to do aside from wait. Dominic had placed the call to the Izumo only a few minutes ago, but it had seemed like an eternity.

Anemone turned her gaze back to her crush and sighed. He was still pacing.

"Dominic, doing that isn't going to help anything. Why don't you try to calm down before you end up having a conniption fit?"

Dominic looked over at the pink haired ex-pilot with a scowl. He didn't like her choice of words sometimes, but understood the meaning behind them.

He stopped moving and sighed. He knew he was only fooling himself; trying to keep busy until help arrived. He looked over at Eureka and closed his eyes.

He wasn't even the one in real pain here; Eureka, who was far closer to Renton than he was, was dealing with the situation while Renton himself suffered an immense amount of pain.

The entire situation just didn't seem fair to him. That could've been a part of why he felt so uncomfortable, but he really didn't know.

The fact that he and Anemone were able to be together for a year while Renton and Eureka mysteriously vanished, the fact that they were there and Eureka and Renton weren't, the fact that they didn't go through anything while Eureka and Renton had to suffer so much.

It all seemed incredibly unfair to Dominic. And once again, the situation was turned in his favor again. It was Renton who was lying on the ground while Eureka kept watch over him, while he and Anemone sat off to the side and watched.

Dominic opened his eyes and faltered slightly as he made his way over to Anemone. As he reached her side, the intense silence continued, as neither knew what to say to the other.

Each continued to sit in silence as they watched the couple in front of them.

Time continued to tick by and the only sounds that could be heard was the labored breathing of Renton, and an occasional groan.

Eureka slowly shifted positions from Renton's side to his head. She began to run her fingers through his hair as if to confirm that he was still there with her.

She pulled back slightly as Renton began to tremor and thrash about again. She quickly put her weight on him to try to hold him down, but it did little good. He continued to thrash about for a few moments before simply stopping and opening his eyes.

Eureka pulled back looking at Renton in concern. His blue eyes were unfocused, simply starting at what was in front of him. Eureka's brow furrowed as she look at Renton, not really expecting what would happen next.

Renton suddenly turned to look at her with a slight worried look.

"Are you ok, Eureka?" He asked in a soft voice.

Eureka couldn't help but smile slightly as the tears started to form.

"That's something I should be asking you. How are you feeling?"

Renton shook his head weakly and turned his gaze back toward the sky.

A sudden shadow that blocked the sun's light caught Renton's attention. He lifted his head slightly to see a figure he hadn't seen in quite a while.

The black haired military informant stood with a half smile on his face, which Renton tried to return with a weak smile of his own.

"Don't worry Renton. I've already placed a call to the Izumo. Yurgens is sending someone to our position."

The brown haired youth dipped his chin in order to simulate a nod. He laid his head back on the bundled blanket and seemed to zone out again. After a few minutes, he simply closed his eyes again and drifted back into the realm of slumber.

Dominic returned to his spot next to Anemone and sat in silence for a few moments. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned to Anemone.

"Do you think they'll be alright?"

The pink haired girl turned to look at him and nodded slightly.

"They've been put through so much already and have endured it all. This is simply another step they must take."

Dominic nodded and turned his gaze back to the scene in front of him. It took a few moments to realize something he didn't seem to notice before.

Eureka had a set of beautifully crafted wings. They were green and had a mysterious, yet friendly design set in the tips.

She had always been facing them when he'd had her under watch, but now that she was facing Renton, he could clearly see her new appendages.

He smiled as he gazed at her wings, wondering what Renton had said to her about them. Knowing him it was probably something along the lines of them adding to her beauty.

It was another form of proof that they were still together, despite what they had been put through.

Before Dominic had time to think any further, the sound of shuttle engines reached his ears.

He was immediately pulled from his thoughts and turned his eyes toward the sky to try to catch a glimpse of their rescuers.

After a few moments, a black square could be seen clearly on the horizon. It was moving steadily toward them, slowly growing larger after each moment passed.

After another minute or so, the machine was hovering above the clearing. It slowly began to descend into the largest spot of the clearing, making sure as to avoid all obstacles that could prove to be problems.

As soon as the shuttle was on the ground, Dominic was moving over to it. As soon as the hatch opened, Maria Schneider, XO of the Izumo, stepped out to talk to Dominic.

Eureka couldn't hear anything being said, but her attention was locked on the craft in front of all of them. For the first time in a few days, things were starting to look up.

After a few moments, Dominic was nodding as the woman in front of him kept talking. As soon as she finished, Dominic smiled and looked over to Eureka and Renton.

He could see that she had her attentions locked on him, and was probably curious about what was happening. He excused himself from the First Lieutenant and made his way at a quickened pace over to Eureka.

As soon as he was standing in front of her, Dominic began to explain what was going on.

"Captain Yurgens has agreed to take all of us back onto the Izumo. He knows of Renton's condition and will have a medical team standing by as soon as we land. Renton will be looked after properly and given the best medical treatment we can apply while on a military battle class cruiser. In addition to all of this, it seems that the Gekko-Go has been contacted." Eureka's eyes widened in surprise, and Dominic smiled. "They will be meeting up with the Izumo tomorrow above what used to be South Ailess. From there, both ships will fly south to Tresor and land for a slight reprieve. Renton will then be transferred into the capable hands of the research facilities medical team."

Eureka blinked a few times as she took everything in. It seemed almost too good to be true. She looked behind Dominic to see that a few hands were talking with 1st Lieutenant Schneider. After a few moments, three men broke off and headed their way. Maria noticed that Eureka was looking at them and smiled slightly before nodding.

Eureka turned her attention back to Dominic, who was looking down at Renton. He had a sad smile on his face as he looked down at the young man, but Eureka didn't know why.

"Everything will be fine soon enough. We need to get going."

Eureka nodded and slowly backed away from Renton as the three men took positions around him. They moved his arms so that they crossed each other over his midriff making sure that his left arm was secure on top.

After that, each man began to slowly lift the youth. One had his legs supported, the other his shoulders, and the last supported his back. They quickly shifted and made their way to the small drop ship.

They quickly moved inside and put him down on a cot that was set up in the middle of the main area floor. After Renton was lying down, they made sure to brace and secure the cot itself, as well as Renton to the cot, so that it didn't shift at all or disturb him.

Eureka was then escorted in by Dominic and Anemone. Eureka turned around and noticed that everyone else was getting ready to board the small ship and turned to Dominic.

"What about your possessions?"

Dominic looked back out the door at his motorcycle and shrugged.

"We can always come back for that later. Renton takes priority."

Anemone nodded in concordance with Dominic.

Eureka frowned slightly but nodded. She quickly took a seat next to the cot Renton was on and continued her worried watch over the young man.

Once everyone was settled in, Maria gave a nod to the pilot and they slowly began their take off procedures.

Just before the final checks were complete, a loud explosion could be heard.

Dominic rushed to the side window and looked out of the shuttle to see his motorcycle in flames. He sunk his head slightly before another explosion took place, this one much closer to the drop ship.

Dominic began scanning the fields near them and saw a few men running towards their current position. He cursed his luck as he looked toward the cockpit. It seemed that the flare had attracted more guests, but these ones weren't so friendly.

"Hurry up! We have two hostilities carrying anti-air RPG weapons!"

The XO peeked her head out of the small area in front and scowled at him.

"We can't just take off in something like this and you know it."

Dominic sighed, but the ship lurched slightly. The left side slowly began to rise, followed by the right. The ship itself seemed unstable for a second before evening out.

Shouts could be heard as the hostiles moved closer and closer. The shuttle gained altitude at a quick pace, leaving the two men on the ground. However, they didn't give up that easily.

Both men knelt and took aim with their two weapons and fired one after the other. There was a loud popping sound, then the distinct sounds of two RPGs approaching the vessel. The ship itself suddenly wheeling onto its left side to avoid getting hit, throwing everyone except for Renton into chaos.

The loud hissing sounds passed by both overhead and bellow the craft. After a few moments, the shuttle began to climb higher and higher at an increased rate of acceleration.

As Dominic righted himself in the cabin, he looked out the window to see they were now well above the ground. His wits were slowly coming back to him as he looked around the room to assess what was going on.

Eureka looked like she hadn't even budged, despite the numerous twists and jerks. Everyone else in the cabin still seemed to be slightly disarrayed.

Dominic looked at Renton to notice that the young man seemed to have calmed down slightly. His breathing wasn't as labored as before, and he didn't seem to be in as much pain.

Dominic looked out the window again to see a large red speck in the sky. He knew what it was and knew what it meant when they got there. They would have to prepare for the long haul, once again, to make sure that everything was ok.

Dominic felt a hand grab his, and looked to his left to see a smiling Anemone. He smiled back and looked back at the red dot, which was slowly becoming larger.

Soon enough, things would break out into chaos again. Only this time, Renton would be at the direct center of it.

-------------

As the shuttle pulled into the docking bay, Eureka could see that things were already busy.

As soon as the shuttle doors open, several people immediately rushed into the cabin. They were dressed in medical uniforms, so she could only guess that it was the medical unit Dominic was talking about.

Renton was immediately removed from his cot and gently placed on what looked like a gurney. As soon as his back was against the table, they began to wheel him off into the unknown.

Eureka didn't know the massive interior of the Izumo at all. Despite having done battle with the Izumo in the past, it seemed to surprise her to see that some of the military still had strong ties with Holland. The Izumo itself being allied to Holland was a strange twist of fate, seeing as how they'd fought on three different occasions.

Eureka could only watch as the medical team wheeled Renton off into the bowels of the ship. She watched until the figures themselves were no longer visible.

Anemone and Dominic watched as Eureka's shoulders slumped forward slightly and the young girl sighed.

Anemone stepped up and put a supportive hand on Eureka's shoulder, which caused the teal haired youth to jump. She looked behind her and smiled at Anemone and Dominic, as if to thank them for their efforts.

"Why don't we stop and get something to eat in the cafeteria?" Dominic suggested as he looked at the two girls in front of him.

"Yeah! Getting a good meal should calm you down a little, Eureka. Let's go!"

Anemone suddenly took hold of Eureka's hand and began pulling her in the general direction of the cafeteria. At first, Eureka seemed kind of confused and was dragged along by the spirited pink haired Anemone, but soon came to an understanding and began to walk on her own.

Dominic followed at his own, slower pace while buried in his thoughts. He could hear idle chatter ahead of him and knew that Anemone was pestering Eureka for information.

He wasn't paying attention, though, and ran square into Eureka as she stopped in the hallway.

Dominic was about to apologize when he noticed that look on Eureka's face. It was a look of absolute shock.

"Is everything alright, Eureka?"

No response.

He looked over at Anemone with a raised eyebrow, "What did you say?"

Anemone shook her head, "I don't know. We were talking about what happened in the forest and then I asked her what she and Renton had been up to for the last year or so…"

Eureka seemed to react at the sentence again.

Both looked upon the girl with confusion, until she broke out of her daze and returned their looks.

"Has…has it really been…a whole year?"

Dominic nodded, "Yes. Many search parties were sent out looking for you when it was first discovered that you were missing, but none found a thing. It was presumed that you both were lost and possibly…deceased."

Anemone nodded, picking up where Dominic left off, "But we didn't give up. After the first few months, we decided to go on a small journey of sorts on the surface of Earth. It really is a beautiful place. We continued on with the search, as well as got to know each other better. It was about five days ago when Dominic was called back to the Izumo in order for him to help with the investigation and prosecution of anyone dealing with Dewey. He came back only a little before we saw your flare go up."

As Anemone finished, Eureka seemed to sink. Both could easily see the conflicting emotions on her face, but neither knew what to do or say to comfort her.

Silence hung in the air like stale wind. It was rather uncomfortable and something that people would just want to pass by.

After a moment of silence, Eureka looked at the both of them.

"A whole year…?"

Both nodded again. Eureka looked at the both of them for confirmation. She was praying that it was a joke, a hoax that the both of them had set up. She was hoping to feel the sudden change in atmosphere as the both of them reassured her that they were kidding.

No reassurances came. She could only see the truth embedded in each of their eyes.

She slowly sank to her knees, finally realizing that she'd been away from everyone she cared about for so long. It only seemed to make it worse that she didn't know about it.

Confusion, anxiety, hurt, loss…everything seemed to swim by her. She wondered if Renton knew the truth as well, but decided that it was unlikely, as he was as much in the dark as she was.

Eureka looked up at the both of them, tears starting to form in her eyes. It was then that they both realized something was terribly wrong. Something that seemed almost impossibly wrong.

Eureka and Renton had a year simply cut out of their lives without knowing it. And now the truth was simply being thrust upon them.

Anemone moved towards Eureka and slowly worked the girl to her feet.

"We'll talk about things more when we're in the cafeteria, ok?"

Eureka regained her footing and nodded meekly as Anemone continued to lead her through the vast metallic hallways of the Izumo.

Dominic still stood to his spot, completely froze.

Here it was again. Another obstacle that the two of them had to overcome. He hated whatever cursed them with such horrible luck, and cursed himself for not being able to do a thing about it.

He slowly began to follow the two girls again, this time thinking of ways to try to help both Renton and Eureka.

Lord knew they needed it. And Lord knew he needed to do it to keep his sanity about him.

Everything was just too unfair.

-------------

Doctor Felther looked at the chart in front of him. From what he could see, the boy, Renton Thurston, was having an extremely hard time with the infection invading his body.

His immune system had already pressed everything it could into fighting the infection, but it was a losing battle.

To top it all off, it was an extremely rare and extremely old infection that required an antibiotic that was common 10,000 years ago, but almost impossible to find in this day and age.

The infection itself was already starting to inflame everything it touched in the arm. The circulatory system in the arm was slowly becoming more enflamed, making it so that the blood had to work much harder through those veins in order to achieve results.

Felther lowered the chart and looked at the boy lying on the medical table.

He was baffled as to how someone so young could've contracted such a rare bacteria strain that caused the infection.

From his readings, though, it seemed that _Sepsis_ did seem to target younger, more vulnerable hosts. Though, it still didn't change the fact that young Renton would need to be treated with Benzylpenicillin within the next few days. Otherwise, the consequences of not receiving proper medical treatment would be dire.

The doctor looked at the scans and x-rays of the boy's arm and calculated that they had at best three days before the infection would spread to the point that it would be impossible for the arm to retain its functionality. And within five days before the infection itself would become lethal.

Felther put the chart on the table and simply turned to observing his patient. The brown haired youth's breath was still somewhat labored, but it was a massive improvement to his virtual gasps for air earlier.

The boy seemed to be in an uneasy state of rest. It was rather disconcerting that he could do nothing for the boy, but he had to accept it. Without the proper antibacterial agents, he was helpless.

The doctor was pulled from his thoughts as the medical bay doors slid open to reveal three figures. Two seemed slightly on edge while the last seemed on the verge of complete hysteria.

The teal haired girl that seemed to be near hysterics stepped forward first. She looked at him with pleading eyes as if seeking some kind of relief or possible good news.

The blonde haired man sighed and started rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn't sure on how he should break the news; that was until Dominic stepped up.

"How is he doc?"

The doctor looked at him and could see a hint of worry hidden in his eyes, but it was nothing compared to the emotion in the eyes of the teal haired girl next to him.

The doctor sighed again and looked at the chart.

"In all honesty, it isn't good." All three seemed to sink slightly when they heard how he began. "He has a very complicated and very old bacterial strain that's infecting his arm. As far as my knowledge goes, only certain military bases have access to the antibacterial agent needed for this boy's recovery. The military kept its medicine stores well in order in case one of its important members came down with an ancient form of infection or disease."

Felther looked at the three standing in front of him and continued on, "But it isn't that simple. He needs to receive the proper treatment within the next three days, or else things can become entirely more complicated. If no agent is found to be readily available, we will probably have to amputate from the shoulder down in order to save his life. The time frame is extremely small, and with each passing day the chance for success will dwindle."

The doctor looked for recognition on the faces of his audience, but simply got back horrified looks. From Eureka especially.

She moved quickly over to Renton's side and began to try to coax him out of his slumber.

The doctor took the opportunity to take his leave of the area for a short breather. He'd always hated delivering bad news, but there was no way around it.

As the doors slid closed behind him, he could hear someone beginning to break down. That was all the confirmation he needed to know that he had made the right decision in leaving.

Eureka had given up trying to wake Renton and simply started to cry. It was the first time that she had truly felt that the world was completely against whatever she did.

When the Nirvash had told them both to return and continue on, she hadn't expected so many different things to go so horribly wrong.

The first was simply being stranded, the second was learning that an entire year had passed, and the straw that seemingly broke the camel's back was that Renton might die unless he was treated.

It was the first time that she felt this horrible. The feeling that the one person who understood and cared for her might be gone tomorrow. She didn't know how to deal with it.

So she simply let it out.

Anemone and Dominic stood back as to give Eureka some semblance of privacy. Both seemed completely lost. Neither knew exactly how Eureka could possibly feel. Anemone had a least a little taste of what Eureka was feeling, but it was no where near the scale or seriousness of what was currently happening around her.

Dominic was running through every possibility he could think of to ensure that Renton would make a full recovery. He didn't know what military bases still carried the ancient agent, but he could always turn to the U.F.F. database. If anything, the database itself should hold every single record of what was stocked and stored; even medicine.

First, though, he would have to deliver the news to Yurgens. He put a hand on Anemone's shoulder and she looked back at him. He nodded slightly and turned toward the door without another word.

Anemone continued to watch the scene play out in front of her as Dominic left. After a few moments of silence, she simply moved next to Eureka and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Eureka was pulled out of her misery for a short time as she looked back at Anemone. The pink haired girl wore a gentle smile as she rubbed Eureka's back. Eureka sniffled slightly and then dove into Anemone and continued with her torrent of tears.

Anemone smiled and began to pat Eureka on the back. She was glad that she could at least do something in Eureka's time of need.

As Eureka continued to cry, Anemone turned her gaze to Renton. If things didn't turn out for the better…

Anemone shook her head to remove the negative thoughts. She needed to be strong.

For Eureka's sake.

-----------

Dominic shifted uncomfortably as the silence on the bridge took hold. He'd just finished filling in the commanding officers of the Izumo, and the silence that followed was deafening.

From what he could tell, everyone was completely shocked. He had to admit that the news had shocked him as well.

After a few more moments of silence, Yurgens cleared his throat.

"Com, get the Gekko-Go. Now. They need to know what's going on."

The Com officer nodded and turned around to face his equipment. After taking note of the frequencies and vector codes, he spoke into his headset.

"Gekko-Go, this is the Izumo, do you read?" A few moments of silence passed. "Gekko-Go, do you read? This is the Izumo."

After a few more moments of silence, the curly haired man was about to repeat himself, but something came up.

"This is the Gekko-Go. Holland here."

The com officer redirected the transmission directly to Yurgens.

"This is Yurgens, Holland?"

After a slight pause, a small window opened in front of the captain.

"Yo, Yurgens."

"Spare me the greetings, we have a problem."

The gray haired figured raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"We're completely foregoing the meeting point at South Ailess and taking a direct course towards Tresor. We don't have the time to dally about."

Holland furrowed his eyebrows slightly, "What the hell is going on over there?"

"Thurston needs medical attention. Quite badly at that. It appears that if something isn't done within the next few days, this could become life threatening."

Holland, now leaning forward, spoke with a hint of worry in his voice, "What happened to him?"

"Apparently, he's contracted a rare infection due to his extended exposure to the habitat on Earth. The doctor on board says it's an infection that generally targets younger hosts, but can become fatal if it's left untreated."

Holland nodded, "We'll change our course to meet you at Tresor tomorrow. Take good care of the kid."

Yurgens nodded before the screen closed out in front of him. He looked over at Dominic who was already completely engrossed in his work. He'd told the captain that he'd begin a database sweep to reference what bases had access to the type of medication needed.

The brown haired captain turned back to his duties.

"You heard me. We're bypassing Ailess and making a straight shot for Tresor. Make it so."

"Aye sir!"

After a few moments, the front end of the massive ship slowly began to turn towards its new destination.

-------------

Holland slumped back into the command chair and sighed. He was glad that he'd allowed the others to take a slight break. If everyone was still present on the bridge, he couldn't have guessed what could have happened.

At first, when he'd been told that Eureka and Renton had been found, he felt relieved. He knew they were both alive and well, and that was all that mattered. They would eventually make their way back to the Gekko-Go to be with familiar faces.

But as the conversation from the most recent communication with the Izumo played out in his mind again, he felt coldness spread over him.

Renton was in trouble. Not just a little bit either, a huge amount of trouble.

It seemed like the kid's style though. He always seemed to be getting himself into one tight spot or another. But this time, it was different.

This time, it could cost him his life.

Holland had already informed the crew of Renton and Eureka's return, but now he'd have to dash their hopes.

"Everyone, meet in the lounge." The message was short, sweet and simple.

He slowly stood and began to walk lazily to the lounge himself. After a minute or so, he stopped in front of the lounge door. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, preparing himself for what he was about to do.

He took another step forward and passed through the doors as the slid open. He moved directly to the front of the room without hesitation and stopped. He stood his ground, staring at the wall for a few moments before turning to face the crew.

"It appears that everyone is here." He paused as he let his eyes wander over the people gathered in front of him.

"What I have to say…many of you probably don't want to hear. However, this is something that can't be ignored."

Talho raised an eyebrow while everyone else seemed to move forward slightly.

"We're not going to rendezvous with the Super Izumo over South Ailess." A few groans could be heard and several other sounds of disapproval. Holland raised a hand to silence his audience before continuing.

"Something fairly serious has come to the attention of the crew on board the Izumo. As you know, Renton had a bit of a medical issue when they were in the middle of his and Eureka's extraction. They've had time to run various tests and go over results…and it appears that what Renton has contracted is a fairly serious infection. If it's left untreated, he could die within days."

The looks of shock were present on every face. A few slight whispers could be heard, but it was otherwise quiet.

Holland crossed his arms and leaned against the wall while he waited for things to sink in. After a few more moments, he looked directly at his crew again.

"That is why we're skipping over the rendezvous. We're going to meet with the Izumo tomorrow at Tresor. We're closer to the research facility anyway, so it won't take us long to get there. That's all I have. We're going to get moving as of this moment, so everyone get back to your positions!"

Talho, Gidget, Woz, Moondoggie and Hap all nodded and immediately left the room. Jobs seemed to wait for a few moments before exiting as well. Jobs usually waited so that he wasn't impeded, which made perfect sense.

That left Holland, Axel, Stoner and the kids. Maeter looked up at Holland with tears forming in her eyes.

"Barfie isn't going to go away is he?"

"He can't go away!" Linck added.

Holland bent down and patted each of them on the head with a slight grin.

"You know better than anyone what Renton is capable of. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Each of the children began to wipe away the tears forming and tried to smile. Holland stood and turned his attention to the other occupants of the room.

Axel seemed to be slumped against the chair. Holland was sure that the old man wasn't taking things too well. He'd been excited when he heard the news that Renton and Eureka had been found.

And now it looked as though everything he hoped for would be crushed in an instant.

Maurice was next to the old man, apparently lost in thought and his emotions. The young boy had a deep frown on his face and his eyes seemed to shimmer slightly.

Holland waved for Linck and Maeter to follow him so that the other two could have some time alone to think. The small children suddenly sprinted out of the room for unknown reasons, but Holland could guess that they were going to ask Talho to see the baby again.

Holland turned and looked one last time at the old man before he continued on his way out of the lounge.

Axel seemed lost. He couldn't even think straight after hearing that Renton might follow in the footsteps of his father and sister.

It seemed that his family had a complex of going off and dying on him to fulfill their dreams and protect others. And he was absolutely sick of it.

If Renton actually did pass on…then he would be the only one of his family still living. He didn't know if he could stand outliving 3 people who should've far outlived him.

Sure, he had his adoptive grandchildren…but none of the Thurston blood actually ran through their veins.

If Renton died, he would be the last one to possess that blood and carry on the Thurston legacy. Axel and Renton were the last of a dying breed on the planet.

The old man sighed as he looked at the room's sole other occupant. The young boy was lost in his thoughts, but Axel could tell he was thinking about most of the negative consequences that Renton's death would have.

Axel looked out the side window for a few moments before mumbling to himself.

"You better make it through this, boy."

-------------

Dominic had little luck with most of his search. So far, he'd found most everything else any of the military personal could possibly need, but not medication.

Even using a few passwords and connections from his days in the Intelligence Bureau yielded nothing. He was on the verge of losing all hope before he rechecked his sources once more.

And finally, something went through.

As he looked through the massive list in front of him, one section caught his eye.

_Military Safety and Health_ seemingly flashed before him. He quickly went into the subsection and found a complete list of every single ancient inoculation they had on record. He didn't remember the exact name of the medicine, but he remembered what it was supposed to treat.

Running a search for _Sepsis_ in the massive database turned up three different names of medications. One, Dominic eliminated immediately, as it didn't even look like the other, longer names.

As he read through both of the other medications, the medical chart began to appear in his mind again. He closed his eyes to focus on what the report had said, but he couldn't really get anything out of it.

All he remembered was that the needed antibacterial agent's name started with the letter _B_.

As Dominic opened his eyes again, he could see the clear difference between the two. Benzylpenicillin was the only one of the two that started with the proper letter, so Dominic opened the data file.

He began to scan over the basic details of the medicine; how it was made, what year, its potency, uses, and finally the list of all active military facilities that had the treatment available.

Dominic read down the list; South Ailess, Koppel, Stroholn, Capital City…the list continued on, but each and every one of the bases listed was destroyed due to the Coralian attacks that Dewey had forced to occur.

Dominic was sinking further into a depression as the list continued on; feeling like that one chance to save Renton was slowly slipping away.

As he finished the list, he sighed. Not one. Not one of the bases listed was still active, or even half there. He was about to close out of the database without looking again, but decided to take one last glance. It was a sort of farewell to any hope he had.

He was just about to exit out of the system when he noticed the last name on the list. He seemed to pause and did a double take as he looked at the name again. He rubbed his eyes and looked again just to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Printed last on the list of available active bases that had Benzylpenicillin…was a name that was strangely familiar. A name that he'd seen, spoke and heard many times.

He felt relieved and almost excited as he looked at the list again.

The name of a well known research facility was printed. The name of the facility that they were currently headed toward.

The name of Tresor.

-----------------

Eureka lifted her head off the table when she heard the door open behind her. She turned to look at the new arrivals to see Dominic smiling.

Anemone had left some time ago, claiming that she was going to go to her room to relax and to feed Gulliver. Eureka was sure that Dominic would realize that after not seeing her present, but it seemed that Anemone wasn't the one he wanted to see.

Dominic's smile didn't diminish as he walked farther into the room and stood next to her. He turned his gaze down to Renton, which caused his smile to wavering and soon disappear. He looked at the boy on the table with a look of sorrow and solemn-ness.

He shook his head slightly and turned his gaze back to Eureka, his smile slowly reappearing.

Eureka frowned at him, as she couldn't see a reason to smile. The current situation made sure of that. But she simply had to wait a few moments before Dominic began to talk.

"This may sound a bit unconvincing…but everything is going to be alright." Eureka's frown deepened as she looked at Dominic closely.

"We're not meeting with the Gekko-Go and going straight to Tresor. We should arrive somewhere around late afternoon tomorrow."

"How is that alright?"

Dominic picked up the medical chart still sitting on the table next to the bed. After looking it over, he found what he was looking for and pointed to the area.

"Do you see what the doctor wrote here?"

Eureka took the chart and looked over it a few moments before reading the area that Dominic had pointed out.

"Yes. It makes sense that he would need something to counter the infection."

Dominic nodded, "Exactly. I did some research on the agent we need…"

Eureka looked at Dominic, eyes wide. "And?"

"And they should have this…agent that is needed at Tresor. It may be a long shot, since it's been a while since they did a complete overhaul of the system and check its information, but it's something to hope for."

Eureka looked at Dominic in surprise and what seemed to be hope. "Are you sure?"

Dominic nodded, giving her all the confirmation that she needed. For the first time since she arrived on the Izumo, Eureka allowed herself to smile.

She looked over to Renton and gently took his hand. This was the first time hope had actually re-manifested itself since Renton became ill.

Dominic put a hand on her shoulder, "I think you should get some rest. It's getting late and I don't think Renton would want you to make yourself suffer over him."

Eureka nodded and slowly stood, allowing Dominic to guide her out of the room.

"I'll see you tomorrow Eureka."

She nodded and watched as Dominic walked down the corridor and vanished around one of the many corners. She the looked at the small data pad she'd been given by the brown haired XO and began to navigate through the massive and complex maze that was known as the Izumo.

After a few wrote routes, she made it to her temporary room and walked inside.

It was like any other standard military room; it only had the necessities. The room was bare, but Eureka really didn't care.

She moved over to the bed and laid down on the somewhat hard surface. After a few moments, she began to think of how things would get better when Renton made a recovery. She could imagine him right there next to her.

Soon, sleep took a hold of the young maiden.

-------------

"Any word from the Izumo yet?"

Gidget looked to Holland and shook her head.

Holland cursed and let out a violent sigh. He knew that they were closer to Tresor than the Izumo, but they'd been waiting for four hours already. And no contact had been made at all.

Holland's nerves were beginning to wear thin. He hated waiting for so long, especially like this.

He'd already told Moria about the situation and he agreed to have a medical team on standby until the Izumo arrived.

Holland tried to focus on what would happen when the Izumo arrived, but he couldn't ward off his irritation.

As time continued to tick by, radio silence was still maintained. As another hour passed, Holland was beginning to get fed up.

Time continued onwards, without end, and Holland looked toward Gidget.

"Get the Izumo. I want to know what's taking them so damn long."

Woz looked up, "Not necessary."

Holland turned his fiery gaze to the software genius, "And why not?"

"Because the radar has them at about 2,000 kilometers out. They should be here within ten minutes."

"It's about damn time. Gidget, tell Moria to have the med team ready."

The teenage communications officer nodded and turned back to her panel.

Holland began to scan the horizon until he spotted a very faint red dot in the scene of the setting sun.

He continued to watch the massive vessel until the huge red ship took its place next to the Gekko-Go on the runway.

As soon as the landing platform was down, a new medical team rushed towards the opening. They met with the team charged with Renton's care and relieved them of their duties before taking over.

Felther handed over his report to Sonia, who began to read through it while Renton was being prepped for immediate movement. Her eyes darted across the sheets of paper, one at a time, until she reached the part she deemed most important.

A look of interest and surprise was present on her features as she read about the infection itself and the remedy needed. She also seemed surprised that Renton hadn't regained consciousness in more than 24 hours.

Sonia was pulled from her thoughts as Eureka walked up to her. The blonde haired medical scientist smiled.

"It's been a while Eureka. Not exactly the best of circumstances, but I'm glad we can meet again."

Eureka nodded, "Can you do anything for him Sonia?"

Sonia nodded as she scanned over the report again, "All he needs is to be treated with Benzylpenicillin and he needs to have his body rest while the treatment is active. Otherwise, he should be fine in a few days."

Eureka began to tear up, "Thank goodness."

Sonia nodded and began to walk off, leaving Eureka to watch the lone figure that held the most significance in Renton's recovery.

After a few moments, everything began to settle down. Eureka turned to look up at the green and white ship that had been her home for so long. It seemed so foreign now. And she knew it would seem empty, despite carrying all its passengers.

The catapult ramp slowly lowered and connected with the ground. Eureka looked up expectantly, and she wasn't disappointed.

Three small figures immediately ran down the incline and directly to her side.

Eureka wrapped all three of them in a massive hug. She had missed them so much, and it was obvious that they had missed her too. All three were crying happily while clinging on to her. She had a few tears of joy running down her face as well.

After a minute or so, more figures began to descend the catapult ramp. Eureka looked over the children's heads so that she could see who was standing over them.

Matthieu, Hilda, Stoner, Talho, Gidget, Moondoggie, Hap, Jobs and Woz all stood with smiles on their faces. After a few moments, Holland pushed his way through the lot of them and stood in front of her with his arms crossed.

The only sound that could be heard were the quiet sobs of the children as Eureka looked up at the man responsible for changing her life.

He simply stared at her for a moment or two before a soft smile broke across his face.

He moved forward and put and hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

"Welcome home."

**A/N: **Took me a while. A little bit shorter than the first chapter, but that was all I really had to say. Reunited at last.

I'm going out of state for the weekend, but I'll probably try to pick up when I get back.

Sorry again if people think I'm stealing any of their ideas, but this is how I see things happening.


End file.
